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Locally we've seen quite a bit of global raining of late and it looks like we'll be stuck in this pattern at least through this weekend. As a result, I haven't had the bike out much; did a 10 miler on Sunday through some very light sprinkles but that's been it since early last week. I haven't been idle, though. I've been able to sneak in some runs and I'm now at the point that a 2.5 or 3 mile clip is easy to do. I'm getting faster, too. I am hitting the 1/2 mile mark regularly in just over 5:20 now, down from around 6:00, and I think I hit my peak pace between mile 2 and 3. I don't have a 1 mile marker tagged in my neighborhood yet, just a 1/2 at a certain stop sign one way and a certain house another, and I measure my runs by time: 22-25 min. is a 2-miler, 27-30 is a 2.5 and 34+ is 3+. I am also running another 5K on Memorial Day and then a 4-miler in early June. I hope to finish the latter in under 46:00. I am not ready for the "M" word yet nor even the 1/2 "M"; way out of my league now; although If I continue to progress, maybe someday I'll be able to consider it but not now. Right now, running is fun and easy and a heck of a lot more exercise than most Americans get.
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From the Detroit Free Press today:
Obama criticism shuts down conversation
She brings up some good points. The right of dissent and the right to criticize seems to be so 2001-2009ish nowadays. Maybe it's apathy. Maybe it's fear. Maybe it's because people are afraid to admit they were wrong. Although, there were some protests on April 15 but the media mostly bad-mouthed those who attended the rallies as if those who attended were uninformed crazies who had no right to peacefully assemble and petition the government for a redress of grievances. [sheep bleating] Protest Bush good protest Obama bad [/bleating]. Additionally, it does seem that gaffe-a-day Biden gets his fair shake when he puts his foot in his mouth, which explains why you really don't see much of him on TV. And, he got the boot for his last gaffe. lol.
One
Big
Ass
Mistake
America
There. :P
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Swine flu may be less potent than first feared
No kidding. Just like SARS, Bird Flu, Killer Bees, the coming Ice Age, Global Warming, and so on. *yawn*
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I saw this on Runnersworld.com and thought it was amusing:
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Obama Bows To The King Of Saudi Arabia
Boy, the gaffes keep coming. BHO and Biden must have bet going as to who can commit the most gaffes. First, it's DVD's that won't play in Great Britain in exchange for a symbolic and sentimental gift that signifies America and Great Britain's close ties and rock-solid friendship, then it's calling America arrogant, now this: an American President bowing to a foreign leader. Geez. Someone get this guy a protocol aide. His protocol aide must be the same numbnuts who went to a Wal-Mart in the States to pick-up the DVD's for Prime Minister Brown.
The media built this guy up as smart, suave, and the panacea for all that ails us. Yet, we got a President who's bound to a teleprompter, insults Americans when abroad, and gives childish gifts to foreign leaders, and bows to the leader of Saudi Arabia. Talk about a false idol.
Again, if Bush had done this - especially to a leader of an oil-rich nation - the American MSM would be all over this; citing it as proof that he's in the their back pocket. But Obama? Free pass; he's irreproachable. We built this guy up and we ain't gonna tear him down, even if his behavior abroad irreverent - which would be fine if he weren't an elected official, and not just any elected official, at that; he's our representative to the world.
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Well, I finally bought my new bike. I opted for the Fuji Nevada 3.0. I rode a few bikes and had narrowed my choices down to two: the Giant Rincon or the Fuji Nevada. Fuji is not as known for mountain bikes as Giant or Trek or Cannondale but I liked it a little more than the Giant when comparing how they felt when I rode them. I ordered the bike last Tuesday and picked it up on Friday. Friday was a rainy day and I didn't think I'd get a ride in but the rain broke by mid-afternoon so I was able to get it out for about six miles. I would have ridden it before I took it home but the rain prevented me from doing so. If so, I would have had the guy tighten up the front brakes. They are a little loose for my liking. I tried to tighten them myself but I ended up with a rub when I did. The bike has disc brakes and about six places you can stick an allan wrench into so I finally got the rub gone but I am back to square one. I will take it back soon to have that adjusted. My guess is that he left them loose on purpose. I haven't hit it enough to give a thorough evaluation yet but today is looking good - 60F and no wind like yesterday.
update (11pm 04/05) - I did 17 miles on the bike today. Mostly paved bike path but some gravel and some dirt and mud too. In gears 3-7 and 3-8 the chain rubs a little in the front. Getting into 3rd requires holding the shift lever a little longer but it's not anything major. Other than that, everything went fine. I didn't bottom out the fork but it looks like I maxed out around 1.25 inches or so judging by where the dust ring begins. I like it. My legs are sore. When I do a 30 or 40 miler this summer remind me not to do a 5K the day before.
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That's what I ran the 5K in this morning. That's slightly better than a 12 minute mile and good for about a 5.2 mph average. I hit the first mile at 11:46. The race wasn't too hard but the weather was brutal - low 40's but WINDY; felt more like February than April. But, I did it.
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Obama's DVD gift to Brown - it's the thought that counts
...pretty lame gift, especially from one who's supposed to be an intellectual. Some DVD's and a few toys
for a pen holder carved from the timbers of the sister ship of the one the White House desk is made from and a first edition of a seven-volume biography of Winston Churchill, the Mail is appalled that "Barack Obama, the leader of the world's richest country" gave Brown a box set of 25 DVDs
and
giving the Obama's daughters Top Shop dresses (with matching necklaces)
If Bush had committed this egregious gaffe CNN, MSNObama, ABC, and CBS would have covered this 24/7 and ranted on how he insulted our biggest ally. All news about the economy would have been tabled so as to stoke ire in the American people about a president who thinks only of movies and toys. But, since this was Obama, there was very little mention by our ass-kissing, tingle up my leg, inept, incompetent, and feeble media.
Oh, and by the way, THE DVDS DO NOT WORK IN GREAT BRITAIN.
IF BUSH HAD DONE THIS WE WOULD HAVE HEARD ABOUT IT FOR 60 DAYS STRAIGHT.
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I am ready for my first official 5K this coming Saturday. I have run about four unofficial 5K's over the past month - two on the treadmill and at least two 3+ mile routes through the neighborhood. My plan this week is: did the gym yesterday (2.5 on the treadmill and some lifting), bike today (about 7 mi), rest Wed., gym Thursday (light - 1.5-2, then lift), rest Friday with a dinner of enriched pasta. Saturday, I plan on a banana and maybe a fiber bar for breakfast around 7:30-8 and the race is slated for around 9.
Weather looks favorable - low of 40 Friday night so that means probably high 40's to 50 or so at race time, no rain in the forecast either.
So, I am definitely ready. My goal is to complete it in under 37:00.
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I look to upgrade from my $125 Sears bike that I bought in 1996. It has served me well and I will keep it as a backup. I test-rode a Trek 3900 the other day and it was nice and I may buy one. Other models I am considering are the Cannondale F9, Gary Fisher Tarpon, and Giant Boulder (an odd-sounding name for a bike). I am also scouting for used bikes on Craigslist and Ebay but will likely buy something new. Some general research has unveiled that Trek and Gary Fisher (Trek owns Gary Fisher) bikes are likely made in China by Giant, a Taiwanese company, and Giant makes most of their bikes in Taiwan and China. So, I may end up just going with Giant. I would like to ride one or two before I commit but I haven't ruled out Gary Fisher or Trek entirely. I also want to test-ride the F9 too, a lower-priced Cannondale which means it's contracted out and probably made in the same plant as the Treks and Fishers. I will likely have my new bike in a few weeks, just in time for this early-spring-but-still-frigid weather to break. I look forward to prime biking season and can't wait to get my new toy and go out and play.
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Funniest pic I've seen in a long time. lol
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